'But, where is the halaal food?' An appraisal of diversity teaching in clinical law programmes in South African clinics

English: South Africa is renowned for its racial, cultural, linguistic and ethnic diversity. Our new democratic dispensation further aims to affirm this diversity, both in terms of the values underlying the Constitution as well as in the various programmes, policies and practices found in the public domain. In the tertiary education context and in particular within the law degree, much of the responsibility of teaching diversity issues falls on law clinics because of their access to the broader community through client service and other outreach activities. To what extent are they succeeding? This article explores the extent to which issues of diversity have been integrated into our clinical education programmes; the types of issues which arise in the course of our clinical work, and the measures that are in place in order to meet the challenges. It is based on an empirical study of South African law clinics, conducted between April and June 2007. It provides statistics, highlights some key problems and concerns, and concludes with recommendations for the further and structured integration of diversity issues in clinical curricula.